Institution news
To make the last few days a little bit more exciting even in this busy schedule for one last time before we finish an entire academic year, we wanted to do something that would not only be fun but also be a platform for enthusiasts to learn, grow and showcase their inner spirits and talents.
Keeping that in mind two of the most prominent societies of Islamic University of Technology namely IMechE IUT Student Chapter and IEEE IUT Student Branch along with IEEE RAS IUT SBC came up with the grand event “Intra IUT Robo Race Competition.”
The Plan:
IMechE took the first initiative to organise an event for the ‘Freshmen, Batch-20’ and ‘Sophomore, Batch-19.’ The theme of the event was a racing competition. The racing format was selected to use RC race bots made by the students themselves. This was to encourage students who have interest in robotics, automobiles and automation and give them a platform to learn, grow and show what they are capable of.
The Initial Days:
Now that a basic plan has been formed and everyone had a rough grasp of the idea, preparation started on full swing. This event was also selected as one of the pilot projects of the IYMC (International Young member Committee) which joined the event as our first sponsor. The plan is to run this event globally in future. ANTS, a very own startup of current IUTians also supported this event. Invitations were sent to batch 19 and 20 to join two consecutive workshops on how to make their RC bots and join the Robo race. And so, it started.
DAY – 1: Workshop on the Mechanical Part
For the first day, an IMechE experts panel came in to teach the students the mechanical structure of a RC bot. Touching all the technical details with finesse. The participation of the students was a lot more than expected. Even though they had to go through a full day of classes, labs and quizzes they were not a single bit tired rather their enthusiasm was going through the roof. The class went smoothly with a Q&A session at the end where the participation was something to marvel at. Though it is not possible to learn everything in a single day, at least the basic gist of the work was rightly delivered and students were satisfied with the class.
DAY – 2: Workshop on the Electrical Part
Now that an idea on how to give shape to a RC bot was formed the time had come to give it life – or we should say electrical power. An IEEE experts panel entered the room where students were anticipating this class eagerly with positive feedback from the previous day. From the basic circuit building to powering up the RC bot and the necessary coding for the bot to follow specific commands every single thing was discussed in brief. In the ending Q&A session the student participation was so much that even class time had run out and extra time had to be allotted.
The Final:
22 March, 2022 was the day when the final event would be taking place. The night before members of IEEE and IMechE worked till late in the night to make the race course and finish all the other necessary works. At noon everyone gathered at the location where the race track was set up. The total number of participating teams was 17 with each team having 3 members. Everyone got ready for the competition. The entire event was divided in two parts. First was the elimination part where each of the bots will go through the entire race track and the racers who finish in the least amount of time will be selected for round two or the final round. In the final round all the shortlisted candidates would race against one another to claim their final victory.
The competition started and was going all smooth until team “Ariana Gandhi” showed up. A surprise team from ANTS mainly participating to showcase the students how to make a powerful bot. With a robust body and high speed, the bot left everyone in awe. Some participants even felt a little intimidated but they then came again to their spirits and their resolve could be seen reflected in their eyes. In the first phase of the competition the respective counsellors of both IEEE and IMechE were present to encourage the participants even further more. After the first round seven teams were selected for the second and final round. After an exhilarating race the competition came to an end. “Team Incubus” came out as the champions and “Team ADDA” were named as runners-up, both teams from Freshman. Team Incubus named as champions was a sight to see as at first their bot was not even operating but they ended being the champions which is a show of their hard-work and dedication.
Everyone was truly exhausted, but their smile never faded. The participants after a of lot trials and errors and a bag full of experience left the venue. Thus, ended an eventful day everyone eagerly waiting for their next event, till next time.